I'm not sure where this train got derailed, but it definitely did. Comparing a rookie, in his first ever NBA game, to a 11 year vet in his early 30's with 769 *more* games under his belt than Scoot, is totally 100% rational and logical. I would be willing to bet that at 19 years old, Dame wouldn't have had a really flashy start to his career. And ffs, his first game was against a defensive sieve in Steve Nash. Ayton was a little frustrating, but he's like Nurk (who had a whole ripping....4 points last night). Mercurial and inconsistent. But at least Ayton is on the south side of 27, whereas Nurk is falling head first into 30. Perspective is a nice thing in life.
My level of "Don't get it", is completely different. I love watching young players learn and develop. I choose a path that does not surrender my happiness to an expectation. If all a fan seeks is wins and great stats, you are going to experience a lot of disappointment. Especially, if you stick with one team. Love seeing Dr. Shea come in and score at will when the offense is stagnant. Love seeing Anfernee's ballisticly fast release...and his accuracy. Love seeing his improvement on defense. Love seeing Brogden rack up points on the road. Love seeing Scoots speed and length once he settles in. Love seeing Camara's toughness. Dude would fight a bobcat in a phone booth. Love seeing Robert Williams strength in the paint. Hoping for improvement in effort and movement from Ayton off ball. Hoping for improvement from Scoot on his long range jumper. Hoping for more relentlessness from Grant. Hoping for better shot selection for Mathreese. Hoping for crisper passes and better ball security from everyone. Don't want to see Ayton get in foul trouble so easily. Don't want to see Walker trying to dribble the ball with a defender behind him....like....ever again.
I'm not outraged just noticing some red flags. It's the demeanor of the team specifically the coach. Most coaches when talking about a loss point to things they should be doing better. Chauncey makes excuses. I'm worried this mindset will permeate throughout the team. The media wont challenge it. Fans will accept it. All under the comfort of low expectations. I don't see that as a winning formula. I was hoping the Blazers would come out opening night with a chip on their shoulder and show the world they are better than to be expected, especially the new guys. Instead they fell behind over 10 points halfway through the first quarter and they gave up over 120 points for the game. It's too early to pass judgement sure, but not too early to see warning signs.
yup those are the three lmao, but i would think that their playbook changed since dame has gone so its probably all new all over.
I think Matas Buzelis is the closest thing to Durant in terms of size+shooting but I don't think there's a prospect of Durant's caliber in this draft, unfortunately.
Newsflash: we're rebuilding. But I do agree on Ayton. He needs to produce a lot more, and play with a lot more ganas than he showed last game.
a nice dollop of lard. Do you believe even half of this crap for real or are you just that desperate for attention? STOMP
Ayton was vastly better tonight, one of the only bright spots along with Sharpe. I'm not surprised, and they will get better. Nowhere to go but up. Amusing to see how many are predictably melting down.
The Magic...They will struggle again this year but not as bad as PTB's. I love the Blazers but since Paul died this franchise has struggled. If they were reluctant to build around Dame, as both Neil and Joe conveyed, why would the Org do so in the now. The way I'm seeing it anymore there are two team categories in the NBA that excite fans. 1) Teams that are near contention and 2) teams that are laggards/tanking, and fans are excited about the draft.
They need to start hitting their outside shots. teams are crowding the paint, clogging the passing lanes for ball movement (esp for scoot who is still getting comfortable out there), making post entry difficult, and ayton’s hands aren’t great. they don’t seem to have offensive plays that have multiple actions outside of the first or second option. when those two aren’t available the vets just go iso and put up a low percentage shot.
This is supposed or be fun season with little expectations other than growth in our youth. Anyone expecting growth to happen over night is living in a delusional world. Lets not ruin a fun season with a bunch of negative nancy wah wahs
